Pokemon Crystal release date set for Nintendo 3DS

Following the re-release of Pokemon Gold and Silver on the 3DS eShop, Nintendo revealed today that Pokemon Crystal will be getting the same treatment next month. Pokemon Crystal, as many Pokemon veterans will remember, is the enhanced version of Pokemon Gold and Silver, much like Yellow was an enhanced version of Red and Blue.

Pokemon Crystal is a big release in the core Pokemon series for a number of reasons. It was the first game in the series to be made for exclusively for the Game Boy Color, moving the franchise away from its original Game Boy roots. It was also the first Pokemon title to include battle animations (as rudimentary as they were), as well as the first to let you play as a boy or a girl.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Pokemon Crystal is one of the more-loved entries in the Pokemon series. Everyone has their favorites, of course, but Crystal sticks out as the start of a new chapter for the series as a whole. If you missed it the first time around (or you simply want to play it again), you’ll get your chance on January 26, when it goes live on the 3DS eShop.

It gets even better, though, because Nintendo has also revealed that Crystal will launch with Pokemon Bank support. With Crystal being added to the list, Nintendo notes that’s it now possible to move Pokemon from all 29 core Pokemon games into Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. This, in turn, makes it easier to complete your Pokedex, which is no small task considering there are now more than 800 different kinds of Pokemon.

Like Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokemon Crystal will cost $9.99 when it launches on the eShop. Nintendo also says we’ll have an in-game way to encounter the mythical Pokemon Celebi, which was unavailable in the 3DS ports of Gold and Silver. Will you be replaying Pokemon Crystal next month? Head down to the comments section and let us know!